NASA Procedural Requirements

NPR 1800.1E Effective Date: March 16, 2023 Expiration Date: March 16, 2028

Subject: NASA Occupational Health Program Procedures

Responsible Office: Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer

Appendix A. Definitions

Action Level, Noise. An eight-hour time-weighted average of 82 decibels measured on the A-scale, slow response, or equivalently, a dose of 50 percent. Employee exposure at or above the action level triggers enrollment into a hearing conservation program.

Active Managerial Control. The purposeful incorporation of specific actions or procedures by management into the operation of their establishment to attain control over risk factors.

Administrative Control. Any procedure that limits exposures through the restriction of area access, exposure times, distance, and/or work practices.

As Low As Is Reasonably Achievable (ALARA). As defined in Standards for Protection Against Radiation, 10 CFR § 20.1003, ALARA means making every reasonable effort to maintain exposures to ionizing radiation as far below the dose limits as practical, consistent with the purpose for which the licensed activity is undertaken, taking into account the state of technology, the economics of improvements in relation to state of technology, the economics of improvements in relation to benefits to the public health and safety, and other societal and socioeconomic considerations, and in relation to utilization of nuclear energy and licensed materials in the public interest.

As Low As Is Reasonably Practicable (ALARP). ALARP means making every reasonable effort to maintain exposures (other than to ionizing radiation) as low as practicable, consistent with budgetary and operational constraints but never exceeding legal or consensus OELs.

Audiometer. An electronic instrument used for measuring hearing threshold levels that conforms to ANSI S3.6.

Baseline Audiogram. The reference audiogram against which future audiograms are compared, typically resulting from an audiometric evaluation conducted at the time the employee is enrolled in the hearing conservation program.

Biological Agents. Pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms and their associated toxins that can adversely affect human health in a variety of ways, ranging from relatively mild, allergic reactions to serious medical conditions, and death.

Calibration. A check of proper functioning and stability of a measurement instrument by various means. In cases where methods or requirements vary, the methodology or specification that results in the most accurate data collection apply.

Center. Within this document, the term Center refers to NASA Centers, Component Facilities, Service Support Centers, other NASA installations, the NOJMO, and OCHMO for NASA HQ.

Center Director. The officials in charge of each of NASA Centers, Component Facilities, Service Support Centers, other NASA installations, the NOJMO, and OCHMO for NASA HQ are collectively referred to as Center Directors.

Cluster Investigation. Aggregations of cases of a specific disease in space and/or time, in a community or an occupational group, at a level greater than expected by chance. Co-occurrences of cases are commonplace and such occurrences are frequently reported as potential clusters.

Competent Person. A person who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them. See General Safety and Health Provisions, 29 CFR § 1926.32.

Cottage Foods. State defined but in general, non-time-temperature control for safety foods such as baked goods, jams, and jellies produced at a cottage food operation. Acidified foods, low-acid canned foods, garlic in oil, and fresh fruit or vegetable juices are examples of foods that present a FS risk and may not be produced at a cottage food operation.

Cottage Food Vendor. State defined but in general, a person who produces cottage foods in the home kitchen of their primary domestic residence and only for sale directly to the consumer. A cottage food operation is not permitted to operate as a food service establishment, retail food store, or wholesale food manufacturer.

Criterion Sound Level. A TWA occupational noise exposure level, expressed in dBA with a decibel exchange rate. NASA's criterion sound level, or 100 percent dose, is the equivalent of 85 dBA, eight-hour TWA, with a 3 dB exchange rate, as shown in Table 4-5 of the document.

Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM). The constellation of services or activities that may be used by an organization to respond to and manage a critical incident. Services and activities include, but are not limited to, debriefings, outreach to the workforce, psycho-educational activities related to trauma, anniversary responses, etc.

Declared Pregnant Individual. An individual who is an occupational radiation employee and has voluntarily informed her employer, in writing, of her pregnancy and the estimated date of conception. See 10 CFR § 20.1003.

De-rating. The process of reassigning the manufacturers' values of hearing protectors to more realistic, real-world performance values.

Developmental Hazards. Adverse effects on the developing organism that may occur anytime from conception to sexual maturity and include such effects as spontaneous abortion, structural or functional defects, low birth weight, or effects that may appear later in life.

Dose. The amount of any given substance absorbed by the body (including radiation and other energies).

Drug Free Workplace. Laws, regulations, and policies, see E. O. 12564, (1986), and 41 U.S.C. ch. 81, that ordered Federal employees to refrain from using illegal drugs, whether on or off duty. It mandates that the head of each Executive Agency develop a plan for achieving the objective of a drug free workplace. Elements of the plan include establishing a program to test for the use of illegal drugs by employees in sensitive positions; training for managers and employees; and establishment of EAPs that emphasize high-level direction, education, counseling, referral to rehabilitation, and coordination with available community resources.

Employee. An individual employed by either NASA (civil service) or a NASA contractor.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP). A worksite-based program designed to assist in the identification and resolution of work-related and non-work-related productivity problems associated with employees impaired by personal concerns including, but not limited to, health, marital, family, financial, alcohol, drug, legal, emotional, or other personal concerns which may adversely affect employee job performance. The specific core activities of EAPs include (1) services for individuals (such as identification and resolution of job-performance issues related to an employee's personal concerns, and assessment, referral, and follow-up); (2) services for managers and supervisors (such as assistance in referring employees to the EAP, supervisor training, and management consulting); (3) services for organizations (such as violence prevention/crisis management, group interventions, and employee orientation); and (4) administrative services (such as the development of EAP policies and procedures, outreach, evaluation, and referral resources development).

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Model. The method of delivering EAP services. The types of services offered through the EAP may vary but are typically delivered through a model such as:

a. Internal model, where the EAP staff is comprised of Federal employees and there are no contractors involved.

b. External model, where the sponsoring Federal agency has entered a contract for an outside vendor to provide all EAP-related services.

c. Blended model, where both civil service employees and contractors are involved in the delivery of EAP services. Monitoring the EAP contractor's services, billing, and performance, while also providing counseling and other administrative services, typically by civil service employees.

d. Consortium model, where a group of Federal agencies contracting with one agency or contractor to provide employee assistance services.

Employer. NASA organizations and their associated contractors, to the extent specified in their respective contracts, and other Government agencies, their contractors, and tenants whose primary work is performed at a NASA Center.

Engineering Control. Any mechanical device or physical barrier that reduces the magnitude of an exposure along the path of propagation to the potentially exposed individual. Engineering controls should be employed first and do not include personal protective equipment or administrative controls.

Exchange Rate, Noise. The increase or decrease in decibels corresponding to twice (or half) the noise dose. When using a 3 dB exchange rate, a dose corresponding to an exposure of 85 dBA, eight-hour TWA represents twice the dose associated with an 82 dBA, eight-hour TWA exposure.

Farmers Market. A public and recurring assembly of farmers or their representatives (produce vendors) and cottage food vendors selling the food that they produced directly to consumers.

Farmers Market Vendor. An individual farmer or farmer's representative (produce vendor) or cottage food vendor who participates in farmers markets held onsite at Centers through a signed agreement with the Center market manager.

Food Safety (FS) Inspectors. Persons who, at a minimum, have received specific training and certification by a state and/or local entity or other approved program (such as ServSafe) in food safety management principles.

Hazard. A biological, physical, or chemical property that may cause an unsafe condition.

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Methodology. A prevention-based FS management system that identifies and monitors specific FS hazards that can adversely affect the safety of food products.

Hazardous Noise Area. Any work area where the environmental noise level is at or above 85 dBA, or where the environmental impulse noise level is at or above 140 dBC peak or linear, regardless of duration of exposure or number of impulses.

Hearing Threshold Level (HTL). The hearing level, above a reference value (audiometric zero), at which a specified sound or tone is heard by an ear in a specified fraction of the trials. For pure-tone air-conduction audiometry, hearing levels are sound pressure levels of pure tones at audiometric frequencies, such that 0 dB HTL, or audiometric zero, typifies the threshold of hearing of young otologically normal persons.

Impact/Impulse Noise. Variations in noise levels that involve peaks of intensity that occur at intervals of greater than 1 second. If the noise peaks occur at intervals of 1 second or less, the noise is considered continuous.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM). A sustainable, science-based, decision-making process that combines biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools to identify, manage and reduce risk from pests and pest management tools and strategies in a way that minimizes overall economic, health, and environmental risks.

Market Manager. An employee responsible for operation of the farmers market, including vetting farmers market vendors to ensure they meet NASA's requirements for selling food at the market and working with the FS Inspector to help farmers market vendors understand NASA FS requirements and correct deficiencies noted during inspections.

Nanoparticles. Materials that have at least one dimension (e.g., length, width, height, diameter) that is less than 100 nanometers (nm). Nanoparticles may be suspended in a gas (e.g., nanoaerosol), suspended in a liquid (e.g., nanocolloid or nanohydrosol), or embedded in a matrix (e.g., nanocomposite).

Noise Dose. A measure of cumulative noise exposure over a stated time-period, which takes into account both the intensity of sound and the duration of exposure. Dose is a dimensionless quantity that represents the amount of actual noise exposure relative to the amount of allowable noise exposure (criterion level) and for which 100 percent and above represents noise exposures that are hazardous.

Noise Reduction Rating (NRR). A noise reduction value, in decibels, averaged across the frequencies from 125 Hz to 8 kHz and computed from laboratory tests of the attenuation of hearing protectors measured under ideal conditions. The NRR, per a 1979 EPA regulation, is required to appear on all devices worn on the head or ear that are sold for purposes of personal noise reduction. See definition of de-rating.

Noise Survey. A periodic or event-driven measurement of sound in areas where exposure to the sound level is likely to be hazardous.

Occupational Hearing Conservationist (OHC). Also known as an industrial audiometric technician. A person who is certified by the CAOHC and conducts the practice of hearing conservation, including pure-tone air-conduction hearing testing and other associated duties under the supervision of an audiologist or physician.

Private Association Food Activities. Those activities where food is provided/catered by a NASA retail food establishment.

Produce. Fruits and vegetables grown for human consumption.

Radiation Generating Equipment. Devices which produce ionizing radiation without the use of radioactive material.

Representative Exposure, Noise. Measurements of an employee's noise dose or eight-hour time-weighted average sound level that is representative of the exposure of other employees exposed to the same noise hazard.

Reproductive Hazards. Substances or agents that may affect the reproductive health of women or men or the ability of couples to have healthy children. These hazards may cause problems such as infertility, miscarriage, and birth defects.

Retail Food Establishment. Any operation, except for farmers markets and food trucks, including childcare and NASA exchange-operated facilities, that routinely stores, prepares, packages, vends, or otherwise provides food for human consumption at NASA facilities or on NASA property and required to follow all the FS requirements contained in this document.

Risk Factor, Food Safety. One of the broad categories of contributing factors to foodborne illness outbreaks, as identified in the CDC Surveillance for Foodborne Disease Outbreaks - United States. This report directly relates to foodborne safety concerns within retail and food service establishments. Food risk factors are food from unsafe sources, inadequate cooking temperatures, improper holding temperatures, contaminated equipment, and poor personal hygiene.

Significant Improvement, Hearing Conservation. A significant improvement is shown if the average of thresholds at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz for either ear shows an improvement of 5 dB or more from the baseline audiogram.

Standard Threshold Shift (STS). A decline in hearing threshold, relative to the baseline audiogram, of an average of 10 dB or more at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz in either ear.

Temporary Event, Food Safety. A food establishment that operates in conjunction with a single event or celebration.

Time-Temperature Control for Safety Food. A food that requires time/temperature control for safety to limit pathogenic microorganism growth or toxin formation.

Work Role Position. Any job or function held by a person at a Center that does not change appreciably when a contract is awarded to a new contractor.

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